Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 3, The Power of Persuasion (7th-8th)
Hello all you persuasive people!
To kick start our morning, we reviewed the investment offers that yesterday’s sharks officially made. All of our teams received investment bids and team ThermoProtect received a whopping 250-million-dollar combined investment! That’s a lot of dough! However, after a self-evaluation of our persuasive performances in the investment pitch, we realized that we really had done our work and totally deserved the confidence of the sharks! Watch out, innovative industry, here we come! After patting ourselves metaphorically on the back, we evaluated some of the strengths of the other teams, thought about what we could learn from them, and provided some constructive feedback so that we could all continue to build our skills and avoid persuasion pitfalls.
Then, it was time to dive into the world of law and justice! To begin, we hypothesized how our persuasive strategies and tactics would change or be differently employed in a courtyard setting vs. the contexts we previously studied of competitive debate and pitching in the workforce. One of the things that was somewhat surprising was how much drama and pathos are used in legal proceedings and how putting on a show can be just as effective as lining up solid evidence. This seemed a bit paradoxical at first, but considering what we learned yesterday about the ways that human beings are often convinced according to their personalities, learning styles, and personal convictions, it soon began to make sense! We practiced creating a strategic plan and crafting a narrative for defense or prosecution by bringing fairytale cases to the civil and criminal courts. For example, how could we build a defense for Gothel, Rapunzel’s adoptive witch mother, who is being tried in criminal court for kidnapping and criminal negligence? What strategies and persuasive tactics can we employ to sue Mr. Woodcutter for damages due to Hansel and Gretal’s trespassing, destruction of property, littering, and attempted murder? And does Red Riding Hood’s grandmother have a case against the land of Far Far Away’s Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for maintaining the forests and protecting citizens against raving wild animals?
These exercises helped us practice thinking like attorneys and become familiar with wielding legal language, which will be necessary in the large mock trial we will participate in tomorrow! We also watched an example of a mock trial case and evaluated the defense and prosecution’s effectiveness and witness preparedness. Finally, we found out what our case was going to be: in criminal court, a murder and kidnapping case – the town of Hamlin v. the Pied Piper! And in civil court seeking damages? The Pied Piper v. the Hamlin Corporation! All our persuaders were assigned roles as defense, plaintiff, or witnesses, and we finished up class time doing research, preparing witness statements, crafting opening and closing statements, learning about the jury members, and sharpening our objection skills! The trial is sure to be a nail-biter!
Bonus question hint for students: What do I mean by ‘crafting a narrative’ in the legal context and what specific rhetorical tools are important in doing this successfully?
Just for fun: Students, ask your parents/caregivers to help you develop your witness or attorney’s characteristics in preparation for trial tomorrow!
Until then,
Ms. Rho